Alright cupcakes, let's lay all our cards on the table. This is a safe place. Circle of trust. (If you happen to be out mother, you might want to stop reading now).

Although 99% (er...90ish) of our baking is from scratch, elbow grease, nose to the grindstone business, there is a time and a place for shortcuts. And by shortcuts we mean boxed baking mixes. (You were warned Mom).

You wanna know an excellent time for boxed baking mixes? Vacation.

Here's why. We're thrifty gals (um, just go with it). And being thrifty gals, baking on vacation in an uber under-supplied beach house rental kitchen would require us spending far more than we'd like to. Or perhaps far more than we can. No but really we couldn't live without those earrings. Or those shoes.

Seriously, stocking up on pans, baking soda, brown sugar, good chocolate - it can really set a gal back.

Enter the boxed brownie. Slapped together with a little bit of creativity and some bananas we bought for our healthy beach vacation breakfasts (er...no comment) we ended up with something rather superb.

These brownies are probably the most deliciously soft and fudgey boxed baked goods we've ever had. And that's coming from a team who have a serious affection for Funfetti.

So if you find yourself in need of a little help, a little shortcut, give these banana brownies a try.

Reader Comments (11)

Good chocolate can definitely be pricey, although it's always worth it! I'll definitely give these brownies a try though (I have a box of this exact mix in my pantry for emergencies). I love that they are so thick and fudgey!